White House declines to comment on Boris Johnson surviving no-confidence vote

‘We are not going to comment on internal politics,’ White House says in response to question from The Independent

The White House has officially declined to comment on whether President Joe Biden harbours concerns about Boris Johnson’s weakened standing and its possible impact on the Western opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Mr Johnson remains prime minister and is still the Conservative Party leader after surviving a vote of confidence among Tory MPs on Monday evening, with 211 voting to retain him in leadership and just 148 in favour of sacking him.

Asked whether Mr Biden planned to speak with the prime minister and whether he is concerned that opposition to Mr Johnson could have negative effects on the UK’s role in the anti-Russia alliance the US president has built, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told The Independent that she had nothing to share on the subject and referred further questions to the British government.

“So I’m not going to comment, we are not going to comment on internal politics,” she said in the White House briefing room. “I would refer you to the UK government. We just are not going to comment on that.”

Mr Johnson called the result “convincing” and “decisive”, adding that the UK government can now “move on” from the matter.

“I think this is a very good result for politics and for the country,” the prime minister told broadcasters.